


Conrad

by Purple_Zircon



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Courtshipping, F/F, I think I made Blue Diamond too nice, I'll add more tags when things pop up later, Self-Indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-13
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-09 06:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17401730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purple_Zircon/pseuds/Purple_Zircon
Summary: Blue Zircon is enlisted to help Blue Diamond in her quest to locate the now missing Rose Quartz and to figure out who really shattered Pink Diamond. However, a certain Yellow Zircon gets in their way...Rating subjected to change. Also, Blue Zircon is an anxious mess.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to say this right now before anyone starts reading; there could be some potentially triggering content in one particular paragraph of this story. Sexual assault is only vaguely mentioned once, and it’s to explain certain gem laws (which are not canon to the show). No, it’s not between the Zircons. Like I said, it’s only briefly mentioned, but I thought I should post this warning, just in case some readers were caught off guard. 
> 
> I also want to note that this was written pre-A Single Pale Rose and all episodes after, and this is written from Zircon’s point of view. I just want to be sure that people understand that it’s not a continuity error. I do still use some of the new information that is revealed in the show. Thanks for reading!

Blue Zircon sat at her desk, furiously tapping away at a notepad levitating close to her face. Piles of these tablets were stacked around her on her desk, seeming to almost swallow the lanky gem. The glass notepads had cases files, new and old, strewn across their screens for Zircon to read and update. Sweat dribbled down her forehead as she continued to type swiftly. Her jacket had been shed, long dissipating into thin air. Her cravat hung limp from her neck, threating to fall and vaporize as well. She would summon new garments later. Zircon didn’t have time for minuscule things, she needed to focus. Her next trial was to start 45 minutes, and not a second would go to waste.

After the trial with Rose Quartz, Blue had been severely reprimanded. She was nearly shattered by Yellow Diamond’s order, but Blue Diamond insisted that she be spared. After all, she was a member of Blue’s court, and she had the final say. Blue was about as merciful as a diamond could come, and Zircon was endlessly gracious for Blue’s sympathy.  
However, she wasn’t out of the woods, and she certainly hadn’t escaped the watchful eye of the Diamonds. Zircon has been demoted of her status, at least for the time being. She was still a member of Blue’s court, in retrospect, but she was treated as a common lawyer. No longer did she take cases of high-ranking military disputes, grievances between the diamonds and other important gems. She was the forefront of common gem cases. Petty theft, workplace accidents, the type of cases she used to handle when she was only a millennium old. 

It was easy work, of course, Zircon had seen and experienced it all. It was tiresome, though, and cases were more frequent. It didn’t help that she was regularly visited by guards and agates of Blue Diamond’s court, and her office was searched daily for “insubordinate files.” The routine was the same; study the case before the trial, show up to said trial, make a plea and argue the defense, take a recess, hear the verdict, come back to her office, be checked on by a guard and have her office be absolutely ravaged in the process, rinse and repeat.

So far, she had won every case that came her way. It wasn’t difficult, after all she had represented much harder defense before. However, she was working extra hard to be sure she won these cases without so much as a stutter. She wanted to impress Blue Diamond to hopefully end her demotion, and to keep Yellow Diamond out from under her nose so that she wouldn’t be on her shatter list anymore.

Yellow Diamond. Zircon had only been poofed a few times before. A few trials gone awry, no big deal. She could mostly recover in a day or so. But Yellow Diamond’s powerful hand had left her nearly cracked. It was a miracle that she could even reform in nearly a week. Zircon stopped typing and shuddered at the image of Yellow Diamond’s massive finger coming down and, in an instant, destroying her physical form. It had left her battered and weak for a while, even when she reformed she was still out of sorts for a few days. The Diamonds were powerful, they could crush a gem with one squeeze. If not so barbaric, Yellow Diamond probably would have done just that. 

Usually though, a quick wave of a hand and some words would summon a whole squadron of soldiers to restrain a poor, defenseless gem. She would be carted off to a room and whatever weapon was on handy, would be driven straight into the gem and the shards would fly. If weapons didn’t cut it, the soldiers would just pulverize the gem into the ground with their fists, leaving behind only dust.

It was a wonder she was still even here. 

Zircon lowered her notepad down with a sigh and sat it on top of a growing pile. Her office was a complete mess, fit not to be seen, but a messy office was the least of Zircon’s concerns. She turned her chair around to the side of the wall that was all glass and looked out over Homeworld. Blue Diamond was gracious enough to allow her gems to live in such nice compartments. Most gems didn’t have windows, it was a luxury. Blue, compassionate as ever, allowed Zircon to keep her office, so as long she didn’t associate herself with the high court for a while. Zircon sat back in her chair and peered out over the purple skies and glassy high rises of her planet. The ship of the horrifying radiant White Diamond sat stoic and cold, watching over everyone on Homeworld. It was a little unsettling. Then again, Zircon always felt uneasy. 

Eventually, the buildings and sky blended together. Zircon plunged into her own thoughts, as she often did when she wasn’t nose deep into a case. Ever since she had reformed after the trial, she nearly constantly thought of Rose Quartz. After Blue has been poofed, she hadn’t known the verdict. She only found out a couple of weeks later after pulling through files. Zircon was almost sure that Rose had been shattered, but she was still curious anyway. Interestingly enough, when Zircon had pulled up Rose’s file for the first time since the weeks after the trial, the status of her verdict was still pending. The image of Rose had been updated to that hideous disguise, and the status of her gem said _“missing”_. 

Zircon had milled all the possibilities in her head. Maybe Rose’s file just hadn’t been updated yet, but she dismissed that theory quickly. Files of war criminals, especially of this magnitude, were meticulously kept up. Her file wouldn’t read as _“missing”_ either, she would be in the confinements of Homeworld. Rose Quartz could still be imprisoned and on trial, as it wasn’t abnormal for trials to take weeks, months, sometimes years to reach a verdict. But, Diamonds were sticklers about their time. Trials with the Diamonds usually took a few minutes to an hour, and more often than not resulted in immediate imprisonment for life or shattering. That also still wouldn’t explain her _“missing”_ status. Maybe, just maybe, Rose Quartz somehow escaped the trial before the Diamonds could reach a verdict. Outlandish, but not entirely impossible. It would explain her statuses and lack of detail of her whereabouts. 

The idea was too ludicrous to even realistically propose, though. No one could escape the Diamond’s wrath and Homeworld like that. Blue grunted in frustration, as she tapped her monocle and was brought to a little home screen. She zoned in on a particular icon, and another round notepad materialized out of her monocle. It was Rose’s file. Zircon periodically, nearly obsessively looked at Rose’s file to see if either status has been updated. Negative on both. No new information had been added since the trial, and it was more than infuriating to Zircon. She grabbed the notepad and nearly broke it but lost her will and just threw it on another pile of glassy tablets. 

She turned her chair back around to her desk. She held her head in her hands, massaging her temples. She had so many questions to ask Rose Quartz, so many theories to propose. Yet she was stuck here in an office with no whereabouts of her former defense, under careful watch of both diamonds and their entire courts so that she wouldn’t “act out” again. She was exasperated, frazzled, and formally exhausted. She looked back at the all the windows and wondered if her gem would crack if she jumped through them and fell Star’s knows how many stories down.

Then, the door to her office suddenly slid open with a rush of wind.

Expecting an agate or another advisor of Blue Diamond, Zircon spastically flew out of her seat. She swung her head around to meet the intruder, feeling something crack and pull in her neck. She stood up as straight as she could, her body making some horrendous sounds as she did. She gave her best Diamond salute, biting her lip as sweat began to pour from her head once again. 

“I _wish_ I was a Diamond, drop the salute. You should really pay attention. You daydream too much,” said a familiar voice.

Zircon blinked her eyes, only just now noticing who was at her door. It was Yellow Zircon. She instantly relaxed, dropping the salute.

“You’re on edge,” said Yellow in her usual tone. “You should relax.” It was more of a statement than a suggestion. Zircon just rolled her eyes. Yellow was as sharp as the best of them in court, but Star’s, she sure was dense when it came to personal matters.

“You know I can’t do that, I have too much work to do. I have too many cases to solve and too much time I need to spend in the court room to dabble in rest. It’s a leisure I can’t afford,” said Zircon, noticing the pristine presence of the yellow gem in stark contrast of her unkempt office. For some reason, she cared a lot about the mess now. She began maddeningly cleaning her station, sorting files into their proper places.

“I don’t think one hour would shatter you,” murmured Yellow. “At least clean up your office, and yourself. You look like you just went through a war.”

“One hour will shatter me, if you’ve been living under a rock for the last star date, you would know that I’m not exactly on friendly terms with the Diamonds,” Zircon tried balancing one last pad on her pile in her arms, but the whole thing toppled over and fell to the ground. Several pads cracked and shattered. Zircon just stared at the further mess she created. Yellow’s frown pulled upwards into a small smirk with a snort. Zircon shrugged and started picking things up again. She continued her small rant.

“Anyway, if you haven’t noticed, I am cleaning my office. Attempting, at the very least. And I can just alter my physical appearance, it’s not a big deal,” Zircon replied, not looking up from her massive piles of notepads.

“You can’t alter or shapeshift if you’ve exhausted your physical form, to which you obviously have. You’ve drenched your jumpsuit in sweat, your hair looks like a nest, your cravat is hanging like a limp animal around your neck, your jacket is just gone; Blue, in fancy law jargon, you look like schist. Don’t even get me started on the chaos that is this office!” Zircon, even though she couldn’t see Yellow, could hear the grin in her voice as she nitpicked every glaring imperfection. She just scowled and continued trying to clean her office. She wasn’t getting very far, to say the least.

“Leave me be, okay? I’ll clean myself up later, right now I have to organize these files. Besides, I have a trial in less than 35 minutes. I don’t have an hour. Stars, I can’t find my current five cases. It’ll take at least a-“ Zircon was cut short by a hand on her shoulder. She hadn’t even noticed that Yellow had walked over to her and was now standing behind her. Yellow’s cold fingers was a stark contrast to her hot, sweaty body. It sent an involuntary shiver through her body.

“Just fifteen, then,” said Yellow. It sounded a bit more like a plea.

“For what?” Zircon asked, turning around to meet Yellow. Yellow’s hand slid down to her upper arm. She leaned forward and planted a kiss on Zircon’s slightly exposed neck. Zircon shuddered.

“Oh,” she breathed out. Yellow’s other hand was now pressed on the desk, to steady herself as she closed the space between the two gems. She began kissing, very soft and slow, almost feather like, on Zircon’s neck and jaw. Zircon tilted her head back, to give Yellow more room, and closed her eyes.

This wasn’t uncommon. Every so often, one Zircon would meet the other in their office, to let off some stress. It was mutual, it always was. If one Zircon didn’t want to, the other would leave her be, it was simple. 

Doing these kinds of things was risky business in Homeworld. Order was a value in gem society, love and affection had no room in such a place. However, a lot of gems got away with it in secret. Lots of common gems and soldiers would seek out courtship in one another, as it was a healthy form of releasing tension in such a suffocating society that was all about conformity and rigid structure. However, if it was anything beyond that, things got complicated. Romantic affection between two different kinds of gems was strictly taboo, as it was viewed as “contamination” of a gem’s purity. And, if it wasn’t consensual, there was nothing that the law could do.

Love and affection between gems of the higher court was even harder. Since these gems were working with the Diamonds, they took on their attitudes towards courtship and did not partake in such activities, even going as far as to report other gems who did to their superiors. However, Blue and Yellow Zircon were both, well, zircons. And, there were no laws that strictly forbade it. 

Zircon had lolled her head back far, allowing Yellow full access. Yellow’s hand dropped from Zircon’s upper arm to around her waist, to steady the gem as she continued her work. Yellow’s tongue began to occasionally slide out, and she would sometimes latch onto Blue’s neck for a while. The occasional sigh or noise made its way from Zircon’s throat out into the open. They couldn’t make so much noise, as the door could open at any time. But they could indulge, just for a while. Just for fifteen minutes.

Zircon pulled on Yellow’s cravat, loosening it up just enough. Yellow made quick word of shedding her cravat and jacket, both vaporizing into the air. She came up from Zircon’s neck to hungrily kiss her lips. Zircon returned the favor by sliding her tongue into her mouth. Yellow grabbed Zircon’s rear, causing Zircon to let out a louder moan. Yellow smiled into the kiss, and lifted Zircon up to sit on her desk. Zircon’s legs wrapped around Yellow’s body pulling her in closer. They kissed feverishly, desperately, as they knew that their fifteen minutes was ticking by.

Yellow moved her hand to the neck of Zircon’s jumpsuit. She traced a straight line down the middle of her back, the jumpsuit splitting apart slowly as she did. It was now bunched around Zircon’s waist. Yellow’s hands roamed up to Zircon’s chest, leaving feather touches. Zircon savored every bit of it, Yellow’s frigid hands making her skin stand on end with each touch. It didn’t take much for Zircon to be pushed over the edge, as she rarely indulged in things like this. Her gem began to glow slightly, letting Yellow know that her release was beginning to build.

“C’n ask y’ somethin’?” breathed out Zircon, her head lolling back as Yellow replaced her hands with her mouth.

“Yes?” she replied against Zircon’s skin, her voice strangely sweet but ragged. Zircon cleared her throat, caught off guard by Yellow’s tone.

“What do you think happened to Rose Quartz?” she asked, half moaning. Yellow stopped her motions. She pulled back, her face twisted with frustration and heat. Zircon looked at her and whimpered, wishing that she hadn’t pulled away.

“How many times do I have to go over this with you? I was poofed right after you, it took me longer to reform than you did. I never saw the verdict, I only heard about Rose’s file after you told me. The only ones who knows what happened to Rose Quartz is Yellow and Blue Diamond, their pearls, and the human that was at the trial,” Yellow spat out, any sweetness gone and irritation rising in her voice. Zircon didn’t seem so concerned with Yellow’s annoyance, rather her eyes went wide at the last few words she spoke.

“Stars!” Zircon cried out. She shot up from her desk and felt madly for Rose’s file. She knocked over a couple of piles in the process, glass breaking and shattering all over the floor.

“Schist, Blue!” Yellow shouted as she jumped back, dodging glass shards. “What in the world do you think you’re doing?!”

“The human had a name, didn’t it? What was it? I nearly forgot about the human! Why didn’t you say something sooner, Yellow?” Zircon said, finding the unmistakable file. She held it close to her face, her long nose nearly bumping the screen.

“Blue, how would I know? It never said it once during the trial. And what would knowing its name do any good?”

“Because, that human is possibly missing too! Does it have a file, a picture, something? There has to be something here,” Zircon exclaimed, furiously typing away at the notepad to find any speck of information on the human. “It’s connected to Rose Quartz, she brought it here and willingly defended it. I bet it knows where R-“

 _ **“Zircon!”**_ cried out Yellow. Zircon looked up, a little shocked Yellow has raised her voice. Her face radiated indignation, any remaining feelings of lust were completely drained. 

“You are driving yourself _mad _by obsessing over this case! I know that it’s frustrating that we had one of the highest war criminals slip right from under our noses, but if anything, the Diamonds took care of her and she’s gone forever. Use that massive head of yours’ and think for a moment. How in the world could Rose Quartz escape two Diamonds, let alone this planet? We were in a high security chamber, there’s a couple of ways in and out, and they’re all guarded by some of Homeworld’s top soldiers and agates. The only possible outcome is that she was shattered. Forget about the file, files can be wrong, and you of all gems should fracking know this!”__

____

__

Zircon just stood there, blinking slowly. Yellow was heaving, her fists clenched. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to continue.

“And as for the human, they don’t matter to us. Organic life is meaningless compared to the technology and abilities a gem possesses. It was just being used as evidence, there’s nothing more to it. If anything, the Diamonds had the human disposed of after the trial. It didn’t stand a chance against the Diamonds if it wanted to fight back. Blue, your persistence is noble, but you need to learn to let things go. You’re not doing yourself any favors by constantly reminding yourself of this case. What do you think the gems who raid your office everyday are going to think when they see Rose Quartz’s file around and opened every time they come in here? That can be read as a sign of treason, you know how fickle and sensitive the Diamonds’ are about Rose Quartz.”

Zircon didn’t say anything, she was doing her best to process what Yellow was saying. As much as she hated to admit it, Yellow was right. She was going near insane tormenting herself with this case, a case that was more than likely closed. The Diamonds’ wouldn’t allow an enemy of Homeworld of that magnitude to just escape. And she didn’t think about what Rose Quartz’s file could mean to an overly nosy soldier.

“I don’t want to see you shattered is all. Makes my job a lot harder since I’ll be covering for your work as well,” Yellow said rather miffed as she snapped her fingers together. Her jacket and cravat materialized, reforming quickly to their original places. Zircon took offense to that, and she was about to open her mouth to say something. She began to reach out for Yellow, ready to tear her cravat off again to save their interactions and get back to what they were doing before their arguments of reason and logic ensued. Before she could, though, Yellow was already storming for the door.

“I thought I could come and take your mind off things, to let you relish and release those tensions, but you obviously don’t want anything to do with me. Good luck sorting this out on your own. Fifteen minutes is up.”

And then she was gone with the door slamming behind her.

Zircon stood, her mouth halfway open, caught on Yellow’s words. She definitely sounded pissed, but Zircon could detect something else in there. It sounded pained, maybe it was some sort of rejection. After all, Yellow had come into her office seeking out affection and it devolved into… whatever that was. 

Zircon sighed and realized that she was half naked sitting on her desk, surrounded by god knows how many broken pads. She snapped her fingers like Yellow, her jumpsuit springing back to life and clinging to her body. Her jacket and cravat reappeared, tying and buttoning themselves into their places. She sighed as she looked at all the shards of her tablets, case files new and old, all strewn around her. She would clean them up later, she didn’t feel like doing it now. She could summon new ones later if she wanted.

She summoned a new pad from her monocle. It was the case she had in less than twenty minutes. She was defending a Peridot whose limb enhancers malfunctioned, and she was now suing the manufacturer of her limb enhancers. Peridots were self-centered and feisty, she figured this case would take longer than usual. She could already hear the whiny, nasal voice of the Peridot screeching to the judge in her head. Zircon sighed. Just another day in a commoner’s court room.

She walked outside of her office, the door shutting behind her. She had time, so instead of warping to the trial room, she figured she could just walk. It would do her good anyway, it might could clear her head before this next trial.

She was rereading the files again just to be sure she had everything right and planned out what she was going to say at the trial in her mind. No way she was going to let her mouth and mind get the best of her in a trial again. She was prepared to sit in the court room for a couple of hours, listening to the Peridot’s sob story and questioning why she was doing this when gems could just reform their physical appearance. Zircon rolled her eyes and geared herself up for straight boredom for a few hours.  
That is, until her monocle started blinking.

Zircon was startled, she rarely got direct messages these days. She tapped the side of her monocle, opening up her inbox of messages. She saw a brand new one up at the top, and gasped as she realized who it was from.

The Diamond Insignia was visible even before she opened it, clear as day. The blue triangle from the insignia was flashing.

It was a message from Blue Diamond, from her Diamond. She zeroed in on the message, opening it up. Her legs felt weak all of a sudden, and she feared was she was about to read.

_‘Starlite Zircon, Facet 3U8G Cut 7XC,_

_This is a message from the Diamond Authority Direct Communication Channel (DADCC), via Blue Diamond. She has requested to meet you at her ship’s launch pad at Log Date 8 17 2. Your case has been taken over by another Zircon. Do not be late._

_Diamond Authority Direct Communication Channel (DADCC)’_

The message was brief, there was no explanation nor reasoning behind it. At least it wasn’t her shattering sentence, she was still in the clear. That didn’t make this message any less important, though. The Diamonds barely used the DADCC anymore, it was only used to communicate emergencies and top-secret information. Whatever Blue Diamond needed Zircon for, it must be of the upmost importance. Zircon checked her small digital clock on her monocle screen; the time said ’10 16 2.75.’ She had approximately 15 minutes to get from her office building to Blue Diamond’s ship launch pad. 

Zircon practically ran to the warp pad in the lobby of the building her office resided in. She must have looked crazy to the other gems strolling by, but she didn’t care. The pearl that manned the front desk looked up from her projection, and gave Zircon the most dull, unimpressed look.

“Where to?” she asked flatly.

“Blue… Blue Diamond’s launch pad, Sector One,” Zircon said, out of breath. The pearl raised an eyebrow only slightly as she looked the disheveled Zircon up and down but did as she was told. She pressed a couple of buttons on a screen beside her, and with a flash of light Zircon was gone, and warped straight to Blue Diamond’s launch pad with ten minutes to spare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of things! First, Zircon’s facet and cut isn’t canon. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I used the Cut/Facet Generator on the Steven Universe Animo. I also got the “log dates” by doing some random guessing and calculations from the episode Log Date 7 15 2. If you ask me, I’m not really sure how gem time works. Just taking a guess here. I can explain my methods a bit more in another author’s note if anyone is curious. And, if some of the slang seems familiar, I took inspiration from f0rt1ss1m0 (on AO3) for some of the gem’s colorful vocabulary. I recommend checking their stories out if you haven’t already, they’re a fantastic writer!
> 
> This story was originally going to be one of those “porn without plot” kind of stories to let off some stress. After these recent round of Steven Universe episodes, though, I couldn’t just publish this story and not acknowledge the leaps and bounds this show has made since The Trial aired over a year ago. So, I decided to run with a vague story idea that I had and now I’m going to be torturing myself writing out this story over a few chapters. Yay, fun times!
> 
> In all seriousness, I’m having fun writing this out. Gives me the chance to channel some creative freedom. It sure beats writing research and analysis papers any day! I’m not exactly sure how long I want this story to be, as I’ve already started planning and writing out the next couple of chapters and I’m still not sure how far I want to stretch this out. We’ll see where my brain takes me, it’s a weird and wacky place in there. 
> 
> Also, don’t worry for those of you who just came here for the smut and dirty things! That will be happening soon, I just wanted to drag this out more. So, it’ll be just teasers for now, but I’ll write out an entire scene where I see it fit in the story. Be patient, young padawans, the smut shall come soon!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Zircon


	2. Chapter 2

Blue Zircon adjusted her cravat for what felt like the umpteenth time. She nervously stood on the platform outside of Blue Diamond's ship. It towered over her, she could have sworn the giant hand was trying to grab her. The fingers reminded her of Yellow Diamond's own coming down, nearly crushing her gem stone. Zircon brushed her hands on her pants, to wipe off the sweat that had accumulated and to distract her from the sudden flashback. She gulped as she looked the ship over, for any movement, any signs of life. She wanted to prepare herself to meet Blue Diamond.

However, time and time again, no amount of preparation could get her ready to face her Diamond. As a blue bubble materialized and began dropped from the palm of the ship, Zircon felt her body seize up and stiffen. She focused intently on the bubble as is slowly made its way down, growing larger in size. When it finally got to the floor if the launch pad, it barely skirted the ground before it made a soft _Pop!_ And as if by magic, Blue Diamond appeared with her little Blue Pearl standing gracefully in front her. Zircon immediately noticed, that the large, drooping eyes of Blue Diamond were focused intently on her. Zircon straightened out and gave her best Diamond salute.

"Starlite Zircon," she spoke in her soft yet somber voice.

"My Diamond," she replied, her voice cracking from nerves at the mention of her full name. She mentally cursed herself for sounding so meek and nervous.

"Come, let us talk somewhere private," she said, and beckoned for Zircon to come closer. Zircon dropped her salute and walked carefully forward to her Diamond. She took her place beside Blue Pearl, however they didn't acknowledge each other. She involuntarily shivered, for some reason Blue Pearl always made her uneasy, a little more so than usual.

Another bubble formed, this time around Zircon and her superiors. They floated for a few long, slightly uncomfortable seconds, before it popped, signalling to Zircon that they arrived in Blue Diamond's location of choice. She look around, and even though the room they stood in was heavily dimmed, Zircon realized that they were standing Blue Diamond's room.

Zircon had only ever heard of rumors about the Diamond's rooms, she had never set foot in one. It was grand, to say the least. Instead of a throne like she initially thought, there was a long daybed, embellished with crystals and had soft and fluffy pillows perfectly places in the corners. Curtains were draped everywhere, and there were large arch-style windows that looked out all over Homeworld. A fountain carved into the shape of Blue Diamond sat in the middle of her room, however no water came out. Everything was blue, however a little bit of pink caught Zircon's eye. She turned her attention to a portrait hung on the wall. There were several, as she realized, one of each Diamond. They were beautifully crafted and hand painted, but Zircon couldn't help zeroing in on one particular portrait.

It was of Pink Diamond. Her hair was so large and puffy it barely fit in the frame of the painting. She sat with her arms in her lap, her smile looking very forced and uncomfortable, her posture unnaturally stiff. The painting was unsettling, both because of her smile and that Pink Diamond was no longer alive. Zircon felt compelled to study it further, but she stopped herself as Blue Diamond and Pearl walked over to the daybed.

Blue Diamond sat down, slumping into the cushions. She looked exhausted and utterly defeated, and so vulnerable. Blue Pearl hopped up into Blue Diamond's lap and put her tiny hands on Blue Diamond's own. Zircon had never seen her Diamond in such a defeated state. Sure he had watched her Diamond get angry and breakdown into tears, but nothing this... sad. Zircon couldn't find the right words. She knew the shattering of Pink Diamond had affected her mental state long ago, but Zircon had only seen Blue Diamond fall apart a few times her life of 4,000 years. And this happened to be one of them. Blue Diamond heaved a sign, looking as if she was fighting back tears, and finally turned her attention to Zircon.

"Come closer," she said softly. She didn't have to tell Zircon twice. She made great strides over to the daybed as to not keep her Diamond waiting. To her surprise, Blue Diamond stuck out her hand, as if beckoning Zircon to climb on. Zircon took the notion, stepping carefully into her Diamond's palm. Blue Diamond slowly raised her up, onto the daybed, and sat Zircon down gently on a rounded pillow adjacent from her and Pearl. Zircon, taken off guard by the shear softness of the pillow, lost her balance and fell back into the fluffy pillow that was several times larger than her own form. She wasn't going to lie to herself, it was comfortable.

"My Zircon, do you know why I have brought you here?" Blue Diamond asked, retracting her hand back into her lap. Zircon hadn't even thought why Blue Diamond brought her to her room. It was probably a sacred place that only a very select few gems have ever stepped foot in. She was so concerned with the prospect that Blue Diamond had wanted to meet with her and discuss some things that it hadn't even registered as to why Blue Diamond had brought her to her room.

"No, I haven't deduced why, My Diamond," Zircon answered honestly.

"Because, this is the only place where we can have true privacy. I wanted to discuss the trial with… Rose Quartz," Blue Diamond explained, her voice faltering when she mentioned the war criminal's name. Zircon pulled on her cravat and began to sweat a little.

"My Diamond, forgive me if I am out of line, but are you sure you want to discuss the trial? I don't want you to be troubled more so than you already are," Blue Zircon asked, a little worried of what the answer might be.

"I will be just fine, but I have neglected to tell you certain details after your physical form was destroyed by Yellow Diamond. I'm positive they should assist this case," Blue Diamond replied, her tone hardening slightly. Zircon raised her brows slowly, very intrigued.

"I understand, and my apologies My Diamond. Continue, please," Zircon leaned forward, eager to hear what Blue Diamond had to say about the trial. Maybe she could finally get the answers she was looking for about her missing defendant.

"After both you and Jacinth Zircon were destroyed in the trial, Rose Quartz and the human fled from the courtroom using my palanquin. They crashed through the roof and plummeted to the depths of Homeworld. We have robonoids scouring every corner of Homeworld, but to no avail. Yellow Diamond doesn't believe me, but I have my suspicions that they somehow escaped Homeworld and are heading back to Earth," Blue Diamond explained.

Zircon's eyes couldn't help but widen, so they had escaped. Her outlandish theory had been proven correct. And knowing that they could have possibly gotten off Homeworld undetected was an amazing feat, but it also showed the truly alarming power that Rose Quartz had.

"My Diamond, that is vital information to the trial. Thank you so much for entrusting me with this newfound material, I will do my best to research this further," Zircon tried her best to stand up from the pillow and give the Diamond salute. But Blue Diamond raised her hand, summoning Zircon to stop.

"That isn't all I brought you here for, My Zircon. I wanted… to ask you something," Blue Diamond seemed hesitant. Zircon cocked her head slightly, inquisitive but also confused as to why her Diamond would be doubtful in her own words.

"Do you… really think that one of us did it?" Blue Diamond said, her voice dropping down to a quivering whisper. Zircon was startled, the words literally knocked her down back onto the pillow. Her body suddenly felt weak.

It had just been a product of her mind spinning out of control at the time. She hadn't meant to accuse the Diamonds of shattering one of their own. However, the more she replayed the events of the trial and the information that was presented, things were starting to look suspicious. Zircon had plenty of theories, but she never dared thought of telling someone them. It could mean immediate shattering by one of the Diamonds by questioning her authority. But, she had her chance now. Her own Diamond wanted to hear what she had to say. She prompted the question, she was looking for answers. Zircon was more than nervous to tell Blue Diamond her thoughts, but she figured if there was every a time to present her theories, it was now or never.

"My Diamond, forgive me for making such an inappropriate accusation at the trial. It wasn't founded on proper evidence. However…" Zircon trailed off, afraid of what her quick mouth would say. Blue Diamond leaned in, however, nodding ever so slightly as to tell Zircon she could continue.

"However, after rereading the evidence a few times, a lot of it just doesn't make any sense that a common quartz soldier could pull something as convoluted and revolting as this. I have... reason to believe the shattering of Pink Diamond was due to a Diamond, or at the very least, a Diamond had a hand in assisting another gem in Pink Diamond's entourage. We can't rule out any suspects." Zircon finished, her hands shaking a little. What she was saying was true, the evidence that had been presented at the trial was lacking in detail and had many holes. She wasn't trying to make the Diamonds feel guilty or put more weight on her shoulders, she was simply doing her job as a defense attorney. And well, that required a lot of thinking. Dangerous thinking, at that.

Blue Diamonds face began to twist in a mix of rage and sorrow. Blue Zircon feared what she was going to say, if she was going to say anything.

"B-but, that's not all my theories. I have plenty more. I don't doubt that Rose Quartz had _something_ to do with Pink Diamond's demise, she was her number one enemy after all. For instance, I've also been hypothesizing-"

"Enough," said Blue Diamond coldly. Her voice was low, but it cut through Zircon's body like cold razors. Zircon snapped her mouth shut right quick.

 _'Oh schist, you've done it now, Zircon,'_ thought the lawyer anxiously as she watched her Diamond get up from her daybed. Her pearl got down as well and followed her closely behind as she walked to one of the large windows. She places her hands on the window sill and knelt down. Zircon watched as her large shoulders shook ever so slightly. Pearl placed a hand on the side of her Diamond's leg. Her mouth was moving, but she couldn't hear what she was saying.

Minutes ticked by as Blue Diamond stayed at the window, not saying a word. Zircon was worried that she seriously upset her Diamond, but she didn't dare speak. She had been given an order. The least she could do was follow it. She had finally found her way out of the plush cushion and was now standing on the edge of the daybed. She was eager to leave, the uncomfortable atmosphere that she had created was making her so anxious.

"Zircon," spoke Blue Diamond ever so softly. Zircon froze, offering her Diamond a salute. But she didn't turn around. Zircon gulped.

"I appreciate your willingness to accuse one of us shattering one of our own sisters. One who we loved dearly. You would never understand, you weren't there," Blue Diamond said ominously. Blue Diamond slowly got up, straightening herself. Zircon could see her hands shaking. Zircon didn't like that tone, either. Something about the way she spoke, the way she moved put Blue Zircon on edge, more so than she was already.

Suddenly, Blue Diamond whipped around to face Blue Zircon. The force of Blue Diamond's sudden movements knocked her poor pearl over, sending her rolling into the wall.

"How _dare_ you stand there and blame us for the death of our beloved Pink!" she yelled, pointing her finger at Zircon. The lawyer was gripped by fear, completely frozen in place. She looked Blue Diamond up and down and saw a wild glint in her piercing blue eyes. She looked like she was cracked, utterly broken. It seemed that this was the final straw, a gem in her confidence had attacked her and her family. In the royal court, in her own room. Her safe place.

Blue Diamond seemed dissatisfied with Zircon's inability to move, so with a wave of her hand, Blue Zircon felt herself soaring off the daybed. She floated in the air, dazed but frightened. Blue Diamond waved her hand towards her, beckoning for Zircon to come closer with her trance she placed on the gem. Zircon felt herself flying over towards her Diamond, sweat pouring from her forehead as she neared her superior.

Blue Diamond loosened her force field on Zircon, and the smaller gem dropped like a rock. She landed on her hands and knees, crying out as she hit the ground with a _THUD!_

"Do not dare ever accuse us of such heinous crimes ever again. Not another word. Do you understand me, Starlite Zircon?" asked Blue Diamond. Her voice was ominous, spitting with rage and daggers. Zircon nodded.

 _"Do you understand?!"_ yelled Blue Diamond. Zircon scrambled to her feet.

"Y-yes! Yes, My Diamond! I understand you, crystal clear!" replied Zircon, completely panicked and in pain.

"Good," replied Blue Diamond, finally satisfied with an answer from Zircon. Zircon panted, tired from the sudden assault. Diamonds were powerful beings, even their voices shook gems to the core. Even Blue Pearl, who had to be used to Blue Diamond's emotions and outbursts, was still struggling to get up off the floor from where her Diamond sent her straight into the wall.

"I have an assignment for you," Blue Diamond said. Zircon was worried at to what this mystery assignment could be. She was expecting to be demoted even further, having opened her mouth yet again, offending her superiors. Zircon gave a shaky sigh, ready to accept her punishment for angering and upsetting her Diamond.

"I feel you're the only one for this job. You're the only one who has kept an open mind, accepting all possibilities. Even the most ridiculous ones," murmured the Diamond. Zircon gulped audibly and closed her eyes, bracing for her inevitable punishment.

"I'm putting you strictly on this case. As I've said before, Rose Quartz is still missing. I believe she made, or is attempting to make it back to Earth somehow. I want you to look into missing and stolen ship reports, scan the files of every operating robonoid for suspicious findings, comb over every corner of Homeworld for anyone who may have seen Rose Quartz. I want you to find her and apprehend her at all costs," said Blue Diamond. Zircon cracked and eye open and looked up at her Diamond. The glint in her eyes, any hint of anger was suddenly gone. In its place was a dull hollowness, one that even pained Zircon to look at. She felt the corners of her eyes prick with tears.

"Yes, My Diamond. Of course, My Diamond. It would be an honor," replied Zircon, the tensions in her body slowly leaving. She felt her shoulders relax slightly, and she blinked back the little tears in order to stay strong in front of her Diamond.

"I know that Yellow and myself have guards that check your office daily. That's why I'm relocating you to my own room, so that no one of Yellow's court can have access to your work. My own soldiers do not have access here, either. I want your endeavors to be uninterrupted, so you can focus solely on the task I've given you," continued Blue Diamond. Zircon was surprised to here she would be moving her office into Blue Diamond's room.

"My Diamond, forgive me for speaking, as I do appreciate that you're dedicating your private quarters to my own work, but won't that infringe on your privacy? I'd hate to be so rude," asked Zircon, rubbing her hands on her pants to wipe the sweat off yet again.

"I'll ask a couple members of my court to build you an office in the corner. I'll see to it that it gets done in a timely manner. I'm sending my pearl with you back to your office to collect your things, be back here within the hour. No later," warned Blue Diamond.

Zircon just blinked in surprise. One-minute, Blue Diamond was furious. Zircon was sure she was going to be shattered right then and there. The next minute, though, Blue Diamond was giving up space in her most precious sanctuary so that Zircon could work on the Rose Quartz case uninterrupted and undetected. It was an odd turn of events, to say the very least. Zircon raised her brow, about to dive into the ocean that was her thoughts to deduce her Diamond's reasoning. She shut herself off, though. She didn't want to start thinking again, not yet. Thinking got her in trouble.

Blue Diamond beckoned her Pearl over, still a little wobbly from the assault from the wall. Zircon winced, she felt sorry for the dainty gem. She wondered how much of her Diamond's fits of rage and tears she had to have gone through.

"Please take my Starlite Zircon back to her office, help her gather her things. Make sure you both are back within a timely manner," Blue Diamond spoke to her pearl.

"Yes, my Diamond," she said softly, and walked over to stand directly next to Zircon. The sense of uneasiness crept over her again, but for a different reason this time. She wanted to talk to Blue Pearl, get some answers from her. Some answers that would no doubt be personal.

"However, my Zircon, I have one request of you," said Blue Diamond. Zircon snapped out of her thoughts, and turned her full attention to Blue Diamond.

"Never accuse one of us as the perpetrator again. None of my sisters and I would have laid a finger on Pink Diamond. I want you to get rid of those cracked theories, and I never want you to speak of them again. Or you will face severe consequences, understood?" Blue Diamond's face glowered as she spoke. Zircon gulped.

"Y-yes, My Diamond, of course," she said, giving the Diamond Salute, sealing in her promise. Right, no more "cracked" theories...

"Now, go," motioned Blue Diamond, waving to the door. Blue Diamond then walked to her daybed and sunk back down into the seat like she had done when they first arrived. It was almost as if this interaction had tuckered her out, and she needed to rest.

Blue Peal moved her arms up, and a similar bubble to the one that they arrived in formed around the two gems, much smaller this time. They floated for a while, but both the blue gems stood in complete silence. Zircon pulled on her cravat, wondering if now was the time to ask the prodding questions she was brewing in her mind.

She snuck a glance at the pearl next to her. She looked positively beautiful, yet there was something terribly off about her as well. Her light blue, almost white skin sparkled like porcelain. Her shear skirt danced around her knees, slightly fluttering with the motions of the bubble. Her hair obscured her eyes, however the customary small frown adorned her face. She was alluring to the naked eye, but Zircon knew there was more to this delicate gem. Zircon observed her posture, the way her right hand ever so slightly shook. The way her shoulders slumped down so far, Zircon wondered if she was in pain.

"Are you… alright?" the lawyer asked without even thinking. There was no time to react. The bubble popped as soon as the last breath left her lips. They were at their destination, in front of her office building.

"We're here," whispered Blue Pearl. Zircon, a little taken aback by the impeccable timing. Pearl didn't say another word, just looked at her (well, assuming she was looking behind all that hair). Zircon just assumed that Pearl didn't hear her question. She thanks the stars she didn't and walked inside the doors to her building with Pearl following behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter, yay! I hope this wasn't too boring. And, I'm sorry for the choppy transitions. I'm wasn't sure how to move this particular chapter along and I told myself I would have this out by the end of the week.
> 
> We'll dive into the dynamic of Blue Diamond and her pearl, and their psyches later on. And don't worry, Yellow Zircon will be making an appearance soon. I just want to do more story building and plot building before she comes back and ruins everything- I mean, uh... yeah before she ruins everything.
> 
> Enjoy! Thanks for reading!
> 
> Zircon


End file.
